bede's newsletter christmas 2015

Christmas 2015

AMIRA’S TV RICKSHAW RIDE HELPS TO RAISE £3.8M FOR CHILDREN IN NEED

Dorter House’s Amira Davidson recently returned to Bede’s after taking part in the BBC One Show’s ‘Rickshaw Challenge’ in aid of Children In Need.Amira was part of a team of 6 young people who cycled from Lands’ End in Cornwall to the East End of London, covering 476 miles in seven days.Battling through what was a rough week of weather, Amira rose to the challenge and did brilliantly, with much of the Bede’s com-munity gripped to the TV for each evening’s progress update.As part of the week-long event, Amira – who attends the Legat School of Dance – also spoke to a TV audience of millions on one of the UK’s biggest shows, Strictly Come Danc-ing, conquering her fears and delivering a

very moving and personal speech.To contribute in whatever ways they could, the Dorter girls showed their support when the Rickshaw team passed through Brighton, dressing as Pudsey Bears and carrying ban-ners and buckets ready to collect donations. Back in Upper Dicker, staff, students and parents from across the Bede’s community also banded together to raise funds through-out the week, with Camberlot House hosting a Tuck Shop and Hot Dog Challenge, Crossways a Cookie sale, and a visiting Pudsey bear visited Bede’s and sold tickets for a raffle organised by the School Shop on the Friday.The sense of action and community spirit around the campus saw over £7,500 raised at Bede’s, although that pales into insignifi-cance compared to the £3,800,000 raised by the Rickshaw Challenge team as a whole!Amira’s Housemaster, Mr Leggett, said of her achievements, “I think I speak for Dorter House and Bede’s as a whole when I say that we are exceptionally proud of Amira for what she achieved throughout the week.”The BBC Rickshaw Challenge and Children in Need team added, “Right from the start of the selection process Amira has shown a won-derful ability to make all team members feel included and special. In addition to this she’s shown a real inner strength.“On a physical level too, Amira was some-thing of a machine – few who watched her four mile climb up Cheddar Gorge could believe how easy she made this exhausting task look!”

Bede’s Senior SchoolUpper Dicker, HailshamEast Sussex BN27 3QH

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BEDE’S JOINS THE CRICKETER’S TOP 100 SCHOOLS FOR 2016

Bede’s is delighted to announce that the school is appearing on The Cricketer’s inaugural ‘best of’ list for secondary education, entitled, The Playing Fields of England: An A-Z Guide To The Summer Game’s Top 100 Schools 2016.the announcement follows an exhaustive process which saw more than 250 schools enter submissions for inclusion. All were matched against a set of strict coordinates, with the schools chosen all having out-standing cricket programmes. “This is a superb insight into schools’ cricket, serving not only as an informative guide but as a tribute to all those teachers and coaches out there who are nurtur-ing the talents of future club, county and international cricketers,” deputy editor Huw Turbervill said. “I have been lucky enough to visit a hand-ful of games this summer, and I can state firmly that the standard of cricket has been very high.“Of course there are a lot of fee-paying schools in here with some incredible facili-ties listed. But the game refuses to die in state schools too.“The competition to be included was incred-ibly high and plans are already in place to provide more in-depth coverage of schools’ cricket next summer.”The 64-page magazine is bumper-packed with the regular November issue of The Cricketer (which hit newsstands on October 30). As well as appearing in print in the world’s No.1 cricket magazine, the guide is also available as a major free digital download via The Cricketer app, through the Bede’s Facebook Page and through the School website www.bedes.org.

The girls of Dorter House showing their support in Brighton.

EDITORIAL: HIGH-QUALITY BREADTH

This Sunday’s Telegraph carried an article about independent schools offering vocational courses. The Telegraph piece was trailing an article in In-sight, the HMC magazine, written by Andrew Fleck, the Headmaster of Sedbergh School in Cumbria. Coincidentally, Andrew was deputy head at Bede’s around the turn of the century, and, from what he writes, it seems Bede’s willingness to innovate for its pupils has stayed with him.Andrew Fleck’s contention is broadly that many independent schools are afraid to offer BTEC courses lest they appear to be ‘dumbing down’ their curriculum. In fact, the opposite is true. Those pioneering schools offering BTEC subjects, of which Bede’s is at the vanguard, know that for some pupils vocational courses are the best route through sixth form education. One might add that Bede’s willingness to ‘push boundaries’ in this regard has rubbed off locally, with other HMC schools in our region, namely Brighton College and Lancing, also now offering vocational BTEC courses.Our guiding principle at Bede’s is that the child comes first. Thus, rather than ‘pushing a square peg into a round hole’, our job is to identify curricu-lum opportunities that best benefit each individual. Children learn differently, so it seems entirely logical to offer sixth form options that play to each individual’s strengths. Consequently, over the past five years, we have expanded our vocational offering. Nowadays, we offer BTEC courses in eight subjects, including Animal Management, Sport, Mu-sic Performance, Music Technology, Dance (for our Legat pupils), IT, Media Production and Business Management.So what are the advantages of vocational courses? Firstly, by not relying on terminal examinations, vocational courses allow those pupils who prefer their work to be continuously assessed to flourish. BTEC students produce independently researched

work on an on-going basis which is assessed to strict deadlines and criteria. Although the courses are demanding in terms of the volume of the work required to achieve the highest grades – a BTEC Distinction is equivalent to an A grade at A level – the absence of ‘high-stake’ exams allows pupils to demonstrate their independent research and writing skills to their true potential.Secondly, Bede’s pupils who study BTEC exams achieve excellent grades. In 2015 the Bede’s 2015 BTEC results were 96% A*-B and 87% A*-A. More importantly, those excellent grades allow pupils to study at the best universities in the country. In our experience, it seems that universities are increasingly recognising that high-attaining BTEC students are equally enjoyable to teach at under-graduate level – indeed, it could be argued that they have learned better study habits due to the on-going nature of research and assessment. For example, one pupil last year who achieved a starred distinction in Dance – alongside her conventional A Levels – is now reading Economics at King’s Col-lege London. Two of last years Animal Management graduates are studying Marine Biology at Newcastle University and Zoology at Exeter. Lest the reader think these are isolated instances, we have many other examples of students being enabled by their BTEC courses to study at Russell Group universities.Thirdly, vocational courses can be hugely stimu-lating. Our pupils enjoy the practical element immensely. Those studying Sport organise a large scale sporting event. Animal Management students have contact every day with animals ranging from African bullfrogs to polecats to kinkajous. Musical performance requires pupils to organise and stage a full concert from start to finish. These are not minor tasks and BTEC students feel they gain a genuine sense of what it takes to be successful in the professional area they are studying. Given that


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40% of our pupils take at least one BTEC, they are clearly popular and attractive courses. As most readers will know, Bede’s enjoyed its best ever sixth form results last year with 78% of grades at A*-B and 50% A*-A. This figure proudly included our A level, Pre-U and BTEC results, all of which represent the outcome of two years of hard work by our pupils. However, if you read the Sunday Times 2015 league tables published two Sundays ago, Bede’s languished in 296th place with 71.9% A*-B grades. How unfair it seems that the achieve-ments of so many of our pupils were disregarded with only certain subjects deemed sufficient for inclusion. In fact, had Bede’s true success been accurately recorded, we would have been close to being in the top 100 independent schools in the country. Bede’s never chases league table position as an end in itself, however, it is a terrible shame that the value vocational courses offer our pupils was not properly recognised.As you might imagine, I agree with Andrew Fleck. It is incumbent on all independent schools to move beyond the familiar and explore options that best benefit their pupils. There is a place for vocational courses in HMC schools and I am delighted that Bede’s proudly leads the way in this regard. The blend we have between ‘traditional’ A level, Pre-U and BTEC courses allows our pupils genuine choice. Most importantly, it allows them the op-portunity to find the pathway that is right for them. And, with the burgeoning support of similarly progressive-minded Russell Group universities, vocational courses should have a very real place in our schools and the lives of our pupils.Finally, it is worth remembering that the word ‘vocational’ is a word that has a richer resonance than its present limited usage. Recently, in educa-tional circles subjects denoted as ‘vocational’ tend to imply their inferiority to the more ‘rigorous’ aca-demic pathway. However, we ought not forget that professions like medicine, teaching and law were, until recently at least, considered vocations – just as was the case with a life in politics or public service. Originally, ‘vocation’ was associated with being ‘called’ to something (from the Latin vocare, meaning ‘to call’), usually with a spiritual element and an associated life-long commitment. Thus, with that history in mind, there is a nobility in vo-cation and vocations per se. Perhaps the time has come where we accept that academic richness can come in many forms and that all pupils, whatever their background, deserve equally well-regarded pathways through education.

Dr Richard MaloneyHeadmaster

BEDE’S HOSTS ESUDEBATING COMPETITION

Last week, Bede’s played host to several schools for the first regional heat of the prestigious English Speaking Union Schools Mace Competition. In a round of intense debates lasting over three hours, our audience were treated to a masterclass in oratory from a dozen highly talented speakers. The motions, selected beforehand by ESU, were deliberately provocative; should the UK pay reparations to countries affected by slav-ery? Should non-violent offenders be spared prison sentences to ease crowding in prisons? Do compulsory diversity quotas actually help achieve equality, or lead to a more prejudiced and divided society?Beginning the afternoon for Bede’s were Cam-berlot’s James Wriglesworth and Nick Shaw (Dicker House), who put forward an extremely cogent argument against the implementation of diversity quotas at the BBC. Given that one of our judging panel, the broadcast Journalist Jessica Banham, actually worked for BBC Sus-sex, this was certainly a pertinent topic, and one which had our audience engaged in deep discussion during the interval. Ardingly and Brighton College locked horns in the second heat and Ardingly’s duo were victorious. In many respects, the best was reserved until last, with Oliver Marks and Joe Bowler pitted against a very well-prepared team from Moira

House, the only female entrants in the com-petition. The motion? That the UK govern-ment should not pay reparations to countries involved in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Moira House put forwards several definitions of a possible reparation, and this made the debate all the more difficult for their oppo-nents from Bede’s. Against this undeniable disadvantage, the boys produced a very accomplished rhetorical display and rebutting their opponents with real conviction and authority. Oliver Marks’ superb closing address, in which he called for the house to focus on solving the problem of modern slavery, seemed—at first--enough to win. Though the judging panel had to commend the skill and erudition of Oliver and Joe’s argument, they felt that the boys could have addressed the terms set out by their opponents a little more often. Success will surely follow soon!The first foray into the debating circuit was, results aside, a superb success, with many audience members requesting more debating in the school. Opponents of Dicker and Camberlot beware. If these debates are anything to go by, a few houses already contain some extremely formi-dable talent. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Matthew OliverHead of English


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THUMBS-UP FOR NEW FIRST YEAR CURRICULUM

Since September, pupils in Bede’s First Year have immersed themselves in our newly launched curriculum, and I am happy to report that after receiving stu-dent feedback it has been met with a very positive response.The course itself offers a breadth of study but also allows for students to begin to tai-lor their individual timetables by following a bespoke programme of academic study. Within the humanities subjects, centred on the newly created ‘The World’ carousel, the students have enjoyed in-depth studies of The First World War, Geographical Hazards and British Party Politics and have com-mented that having time for philosophical reflection and debate has been extremely stimulating. Our Twenty-First Century Studies Course, which incorporates First Aid, e-safety, mind-fulness, cookery, psychology, and animal management, has also gone down well, with boa constrictor handling one week and mak-ing jam sponge the next! Within English there has been a real focus on the promotion and development of read-ing while Mathematics and Science classes have seen the students embark on their GCSE studies while learning all around the topics on which they will be examined.Within languages, French and Spanish have continued to be ever popular, however, the German class, headed by Herr Rohmer in his innovative desk less classroom, has provided students not only with a new lan-guage learning opportunity but a whole new environment for study. Next term there will be new challenges aplenty, with the programme set to offer a smorgasbord of exciting learning experi-ences - and a few surprises to boot!

Liam BacklerHead of First Year

SIXTH FORM MFL STUDENTS WELCOME VICHY SURVIVOR

On Friday 13th November, guest speaker Mrs Verkindere-Debon visited Bede’s to speak to A Level French students about her time living under the 1940s Vichy Regime.Now a retired, decorated teacher of humani-ties and ex-first secretary of a town called Halluin on the Franco-German border, Mrs Verkindere-Debon gave a fascinating, inspir-ing talk about life in France under German Occupation during WWII.The discussions focused on many different aspects such as the numerous regulations and restrictions imposed by the Vichy Re-gime, including censorship and propaganda, endemic shortages and the black market, all of which made the occupation increasingly unbearable to the French population.The pupils proved to be a very captive audience who had carefully prepared some questions in French to ask to Mrs Verkindere-Debon; she herself proved to be a great enthusiastic orator who could answer every single question with panache and juicy anec-dotes, despite the fact that she was discuss-ing an extremely sombre period of History!Mrs Verkindere-Debon had come with some authentic documents from the period, such as photographs of a wedding on the Franco-Belgium border, an Ausweis (sort of passport of the time) and some rationing tickets.The pupils had learned about the history of the Vichy Regime in their French lessons with Mrs Ganivet, and they were extremely grate-

ful to Mrs Verkindere-Debon to have brought their knowledge to life.Mrs Verkindere-Debon, who was very impressed by the welcoming atmosphere at Bede’s, commented on the insightfulness of the pupils’ questions and the quality of French that they demonstrated.She said, “What a brilliant audience! I feel like I have been talking to extremely mature young adults!”This event was no doubt a fruitful and memorable moment for our Sixth Form stu-dents, who can now reflect upon important values such as freedom and democracy at a time when France has, yet again, to face some difficult challenges.No doubt the pupils will have plenty to write about in their essays on the period in preparation for their public examinations next June.


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BEDE’S STUDENTS WIN AT EASTBOURNE FILM FESTIVAL

Congratulations to a company of Bede’s pupils including Writer/Director Ivan Friedman, Director of Photography Harry Wilson, Camera Operator Will Morgan and Production/Post-Production Sound as-sistant Hal Taylor, whose film recently won ‘Best Visual Effects’ at Eastbourne Film Festival.The experimental short entitled ‘Graham’s Interlude,’ the film sees Graham (2015 Bede’s alumnus Callum Friedman) losing his younger brother in a horrific accident.“As Graham’s mind has slowly been driven into the ground, we find him in a dark place in his life where he attempts to numb himself with psychoactive substances,” Ivan explains.Filmed over the Summer holiday, with a cast that also includes Bede’s pupils Ashley Meffen and Raphael Barber and with music from Bede’s Head of Music Production Mr Hopkins, the company’s achievement is truly remarkable.“It all stemmed from one visual concept, which was a single shot seen in the early stages of the story where Graham is lying on the grass looking up into the sky,” Ivan explained.That the team is united in their agreement that the most satisfying part of making the film was watching the evolution of draft cuts and seeing the final film come together with all the little touches and details being refined.“The opportunity to use the plethora of high quality equipment from the school to its full extent was fantastic,” said Ivan, “and the opportunity to get our hands on a camera lens worth over £3000 for a week put a big smile on all of our faces!”

EMILIE REPORTS FROM BEDE’S NEPAL TRIP

Before half term, a group of eight Bede’s students set off for Nepal, accompanied by Mrs Sparkes, to volunteer alongside Tibetan monks and experience some of what life is like in this little-known part of Asia. The trip lasted two and a half weeks, dur-ing which every day saw us participating in multiple activities from visiting the capital, volunteering for five days in a Tibetan refugee settlement, trekking, white water rafting and more! The group had several workshops with charities based in Nepal, the two which stood out being the Department of International Development (DFID) and the Ghurkha Welfare Scheme. At DFID we received talks on how the UK gov-ernment’s money is spent in Nepal and how it has a remarkable impact on the people’s lives; for me the most interesting scheme they had was the Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHV) set up to combat the issue of poor medical care in rural mountainous areas, especially regarding pregnancies and births. We also stayed in Tashiling, a Tibetan refugee settlement in Pokhara, the second largest city in Nepal, for 5 days. The Tibetan people are not granted citizenship in Nepal and therefore cannot get jobs; they must rely on

selling handmade souvenirs to tourists. Their arts and crafts centre was damaged in the recent earthquakes so we helped paint the new replacement building, as well as move bricks and rubble from the damaged buildings and teach English to the monks in the Tibetan monastery. Teaching in the monastery was a lot of fun: there were two classes, one ranging from 6 to 16 years old and another from 17 to 28 years old. The younger group were cheeky, which was surprising as you would never picture monks as naughty yet it proves that children anywhere in any situation are still children. The highlight of trekking was definitely Poon Hill, renowned for its beautiful views. We woke up at 4:30 and hiked up an hour of steep steps in the freezing cold to reach an altitude

of 3,210m. But the cold was worth the incred-ible scenes as we watched the sun rise above the Annapurna Mountains.All in all the trip was an incredible experience; it has completely changed the way I view the society we live in, and I am extremely thankful to have had such a profound opportunity.

Emilie StoneUpper Sixth, Bloomsbury House


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GEOGRAPHY STUDENTS STUDY COASTAL EROSION

From the inaugural naming of storms in the UK to the refugee and migrant crisis across Europe, geography is never far from the news – indeed, Geography les-sons in the Fifth Form have never been more current! The Lower Fifth have been studying Population, part of which has seen classes exploring the reasons for and impacts of migration. One of the fun ways students have been learning about immigration is through a Jelly Baby Population Simulator - an interac-tive and engaging game that uses jelly babies to simulate truly delicious tragedies.

The Upper Fifth have been meanwhile com-pleting their coursework, which has involved investigating the erosion of the coastline along Birling Gap and Pevensey Bay. With the increasing frequency and strength of storms such as Abigail and Desmond, the rates of erosion will only rise near Bede’s. Our students were investigating why this is the case and considering what can be done in the future to prevent it.All in all it has been a very busy few weeks for the department, and we are exceptionally happy to see so many aspiring Geographers talking about taking the course on into the Sixth Form!

Mal BurdernActing Head of Geography

FIFTH FORM HISTORY TALKS BRING COLD WAR TO LIFE

1989 was a momentous year in the his-tory of Europe – it opened with the Cold War seemingly firmly in place and ended with the dawn of a new world where in one heady moment, Francis Fukuyama declared ‘the end of history’. How wrong he was, of course. It is still alive and kicking as we seek to understand our difficult present and it continues to fascinate our Fifth Formers as they seek to make con-nections and provide different perspective on the collective and individual historical human experience. This was embodied recently by a visit from the Head of German, Mr Rohmer, to the His-tory Department where he talked of the year 1989 from an altogether personal experience. Mr Rohmer was, like countless other East and West Germans, caught up in the movement of the historical tectonic plates that would witness the fall of the symbol of the Cold War – the Berlin Wall.Our students in GCSE learn how Berlin was the epicentre of both the National Socialist (Nazi) state and the superpower rivalry of the Cold War, resulting in a forty year standoff between the Russians and the Americans. Its origins go back to the 1917 Russian Revolu-tion and the collapse of the Grand Alliance after the Second World War. Whilst we historians do not perform brain surgery nor do we design motorways, what we love doing is explaining the past – it’s in our lifeblood. So when, in our own School we have a teacher who lived through arguably

the biggest sea change in a generation, we are hypnotised by his story and we want to hear it and understand it!History in the fifth form looks at other social and political changes that took place after the Great War, the various solutions and in-ternational institutions to devise better ways to keep the peace (and their catastrophic failure), the rise of Hitler and the impact he had on Germany, providing an important warning to us all. We look at the darker side of the decade of the Roaring Twenties in the USA by looking at poverty and gangsters, studying the poster boy villain, Al Capone. It was, we learn, not only about jazz, moonshine and speakeasies. Hearing Mr Rohmer’s personal account helped the students to tap into their histori-cal imaginations and make sure that the Cold War past is available to this generation of students. We thank him very much!

Richard Frame Academic Leader in History


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KNIGHTS FORMAL DINNER CELEBRATES ‘NEW BEGINNINGS’

This is my ninth year as a tutor in Knights House and this was my ninth formal dinner, yet still there felt something ‘new’ about this term’s event. I would say that Knights feels new thanks to the ability of its students and staff to em-brace and build on the best of the House’s past, and this idea was typified by the speech Bertie Cook gave during evensong in the Chapel.

Evensong was followed by a champagne re-ception in the Recital Room. This was a new innovation to the evening and a thank you from Mr Waterhouse to the prefects for their outstanding work in the House this year.Doctor Carroll was the guest speaker for the evening and, as the former Housemaster of Knights, it was entirely fitting that ‘Doc’ was invited by Mr. Waterhouse to speak to the boys after their dinner about the nature of new beginnings.Knights’ Head of House, Henry Vine, closed the evening with his insightful remarks about his own experiences of Knight’s House. From the speakers through to the menu, it was an evening of making the right choices and genuinely enjoyable.

Graeme Parker Head of Politics

BEDE’S PHYSICS DEPARTMENT SHARES BEST PRACTISE WITH EUROPEAN PARTNERSOver the past three years, Bede’s science teachers have been collaborating with the Education Department at Kings College London as part of the EU wide SAILS (Strat-egies for Assessment in Inquiry Learning Science) Project. As partners within the project we have implemented an exciting pedagogy to promote student engagement with science. The project has been hugely successful with Bede’s teachers presenting at conferences in the UK and being invited to Lisbon Univer-sity in Portugal to create bespoke resources and share best practice with teachers from around the EU. This continues to be a hugely exciting project for both teachers and students and I believe it will not be long until it is embedded into the UK Science Education policy. So what it is? Does it involve some new tech-nology such as Quantum computing? Or is it some break-through in the theory of learning that has been advanced by neuroscientists? Well not exactly! The pedagogy is referred to as “Inquiry Learn-ing” and there are 4 different levels ranging from structured to open ended and all that is required is for the teacher to support and en-able the student to develop and follow their own lines of inquiry.

The students, enthused by their natural curiosity about the world, then emulate the role of a scientist and discover their own answers. Along the way they learn to develop hypothe-sis, work collaboratively and research around the area of interest. This is clearly not ground-breaking stuff to the Bede’s Science department, but on an international level we have been helping to provide inspiration to students who have not been given the time to learn science in this way. At Bede’s we are fortunate to have a well-stocked Science Department and small class sizes that enable this pedagogy to be applied on a regular basis, and we also benefit from having very curious and confident students who are willing to ask questions and who have the self-belief to follow their own lines of inquiry.Devising simple experiments like the pho-tographed study into the density of oranges however has provided myself, Mr Tabary-Petersen and Mr Hiscox with some brilliant challenges too, and we thank Kings College for their support and enthusiasm.

Steve DawsonHead of Sixth Form Physics


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BIOLOGISTS UNDERTAKE SOMERSET FIELD TRIP

Bede’s Upper Sixth Biology students undertook a five-day field trip to Somerset this half of term, to carry out their indi-vidual Ecology coursework projects.Accompanied by myself, Head of Lower Fifth Ms French and Deputy Stud Housemaster Mr Jones, Bede’s 16 Upper Sixth Biologists bounded onto a coach bound for Nettle-combe Court, Somerset – a calm haven away from the busy Bede’s campus,

where experiments were run including as-sessments of the distribution and abun-dance of different plant species, studies of the local river’s meanders and Hellwell bay’s rocky shore at low tideAll of the students devised some excellent projects within the close grounds before working individually to collect data which would later be processed in their projects.

The final day involved a busy classroom session where lap tops were put into full use and a great deal of progress was made. All in all, the field trip was extremely produc-tive and took place in a stunning place. Some outstanding team spirit was demon-strated and the pupils gained some valuable insights into the life of an ecologist.

Helen TillingHead of Biology


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FIRST YEAR CHEMISTS REACT TO NEW GCSES

Our First Years are making excellent headway in the brand new GCSE from AQA for which they will be amongst the first to be examined in the summer of 2017.Aside from being an excellent course, this new GCSE is a foundational element of Bede’s new First Year Curriculum – as is the rest of AQA’s flexible suite of Science exams, which offer teachers a variety of combina-tions to help students achieve to the best results for their level of ability and interest in science.The new course also counts towards the Science component of the English Baccalau-reate (Ebacc).After last year’s First Year Curriculum Re-view it was decided that all of Bede’s First Year pupils would study all three classical sciences with three different specialist teachers for three full years moving forward, with the children opting whether they want to pursue a Single, Double or Triple Award.This is therefore the first time Bede’s First Years have studied GCSE work and, as we delve deeper into Unit 1 of the course, it’s fantastic to see that they are getting along so well.The class pictured at the top of this article (Science 9E) are presently learning about the reactivities of different metals and their everyday uses, from construction to the explosive properties of fireworks, before they move onto studying crude oil next term.With the Bede’s Chemistry department passionate about enabling every child to explain what makes up the world around us, the physical world of substances and the processes, reactions and treatments that can change them, we’re obviously extremely happy to see the current First Year enjoying the course so much.Long may their positive reactions continue!

Dr Amber CumpsteyHead of Chemistry

BEDE’S ARTISTS VISIT ‘HIFEST’

Sussex is a hugely creative county that is spoilt with great galleries including Pallant House in Chichester, Del la Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, Towner in Eastbourne and The Jerwood in Hastings. People are drawn to Sussex because of its landscape, creativity and exciting cities like Brighton. Hasting and St Leonards are ‘on the up’ and have a great Art scene that give the area the feel of Brighton 25 years ago. Hastings has a particular connection to il-lustration with both Quentin Blake John Ryan (creator of Captain Pugwash) associated with the town.On Saturday 5th December Mr Jordan and I therefore took a group of A level Art students to HiFest (Hastings Illustration Festival). Now in its second year it is a showcase for young Sussex based illustrators and Graphic designers, it shows Hastings as a fantastic hub for illustration and the creative industry in general.

The festival is vibrant with over 50 stalls, workshops, seminars and the opportunity to meet and talk to the next generation of designers and illustrators. Jake Vine, a current Bede’s student interested in becoming a Graphic Designer said on the day – “Hifest is great event and gives you a chance to talk to practicing illustrators and Graphic Designers - to learn from them and get excellent advice.”Bede’s has a particular interest in the festival because one of its main organisers is Ali Graham who is an old Bede’s alumni and the son of David Graham, the previous Head of Art. Ali studied GCSE Art and Photography and went on to study Graphic Communication at A Level before becoming a freelance illustra-tor. When he is not organising Hifest he is the creator of viral online illustration projects 99 Problems, Beyoncé vs Zombies and Lil’ Ye and has worked on projects with Hyundai, IFC, The Who and DKNY.Bede’s has a long established tradition of producing young talented artists, graphic designers, set designers, architects and photographers with a third of all A level Art students continuing to study Art based subjects at University. Many go on to make careers in these areas and, hopefully like Ali, encourage others to follow a similar path.

Jonathan TurnerHead of Art and Design


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CABARET 2015 CELEBRATES

Cabaret 2015 was an event which rivalled even the greatest of professional concerts in terms of its entertainment and the skill of the performers, and it is through the backstage lens of my position as First Trombone for the Bede’s Orchestra and Jazz Band that I can give insight into the weekend’s events.Rehearsals for Cabaret formally began ten weeks before the event, at the very start of term. Students fresh back from their summer holidays were thrust into a comprehensive program of rehearsals, which from my own position in the Orchestra and Jazz Band very much threw us in at the deep end with a wide range of different pieces.Likewise the choirs had begun work from the very beginning of term, and the solo musi-cians had in many cases been working on

their performances even before then.As the weeks counted down, excitement grew, as did the pressure to excel being placed on the students – a challenge they rose to with vigour.All this came together on the Friday night, when the whole concert was performed in a dress rehearsal to the school’s boarders, to great acclaim, but it was the Saturday night that saw all the stops pulled to ensure the concert was to the highest standard.Glitz and glamour were the watchwords to the band of excited students as they awaited the opening of the concert.The evening opened with a piece that perfectly encapsulated the evening’s theme of ‘Best of British’ – Don’t Stop Me Now, that classic of Queen, performed by Freddy Mercury and now recreated by the Bede’s Or-chestra and Jazz Choir and accompanied by the Legat dancers, performing a spellbinding routine that amazed the audience.This was followed by an introduction from the evening’s comperes, Harvey Cole and Joe Robson, who assisted by Alice Potter narrated the audience through the evening’s enter-tainment.They introduced the guests to the evening to follow, as well as the next piece of music: Pinball Wizard, by the Who, performed by the

Bede’s Orchestra – a piece which I can attest to being very technically challenging, yet im-mensely rewarding.This was followed by three pieces demon-strating the individual talents of various Bede’s pupils: Soho Nights, performed by Szofia Lindsay-Macdougall, Tilly Holker and Lily Potter created an exotic sound straight from London’s premier entertainment district.Chelsea Bridge was performed by Johnny Connell and James Cuxson, two Upper Sixth musicians who demonstrated the immense skill they had developed in their time at Bede’s; and Rosa Witts performed her own composition, Tiny Little Soldiers, to great acclaim at the deeply emotional nature of the piece.This was followed by the Orchestra taking centre stage again to perform a medley of


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‘THE BEST OF BRITISH’pieces by John Lennon, including a heart-rending performance of his famous Imagine, before the room was hushed by the immense vocal talents of Hannah Roberts singing Twisted by Annie Ross.The first concert of the evening then cul-minated with Ruby Moody performing Last Night of The Proms, a cello arrangement by Howard Moody that paid tribute to some of Britain’s best-loved and most-recognised melodies.After enjoying the main course of their din-ner, our guests were hushed as the dance floor was quickly turned into a London tavern by the combined dancers of the Legat dance school, who accompanied by the Orchestra and Bede’s Singers gave a rousing rendition of Oom-pah-pah from the musical ‘Oliver’ quickly followed by First Year Max Mason performing Where is Love? from that same musical.This young man amazed everyone not only with the clarity of his voice, but also with the braveness that enabled him to stand before four hundred people and sing so beautifully. Following this we were treated to several group performances: the Lower Sixth BTEC musicians performed Sun, by modern British group Two Door Cinema Club, and showed us all why they are some of our school’s best musicians.They were followed by the Cabaret Singers performing two of the best British songs: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, by Monty Python, and All You Need is Love, by the Beatles.Both of these songs, each an example of the particular British style of song-writing, were impressive in that they were led by soloists drawn from amongst the younger years of the school, the First Year and Fifth Form – a sure sign that the music department is in safe hands when the older students move on!This was followed by the second performance by Johnny Connell and James Cuxson of the night, performing a supremely smooth rendi-tion of Allan Holdsworth’s Blues for Tony that again blew us all away.They were followed by a double bill taken from ‘My Fair Lady’: the Orchestra, Choir and Legat dancers again joined forces to create a day at the races for a performance

of Ascot Gavotte while Alice Potter and the Jazz Band gave us a performance of On The Street Where You Live that left us all eager for more.The next piece, Don’t Stop, was composed by Bede’s music teacher Roy Hilton with our own Jazz Band and some of its musicians in mind. It showcased the ample talents of young pianist Ollie Hutchinson, as well as featuring solos on trombone and trumpet respectively from me and Aidan Kerr.These exposed musicians showed the audi-ence that you don’t need long in a piece to make your mark.Following this was perhaps the most emotional piece of the evening, as Bertie Cook performed Ed Sheeran’s Give Me Love, accompanied by a dance routine cho-reographed and performed by Legat pupils Phoenix Tanner and Katie Eedle that moved more than one member of the audience to tears.The second concert of the evening was rounded off by the powerful vocals of Talisker

Cornford singing Adele’s Skyfall alongside the choir and Orchestra, with the Legat Dancers again performing alongside.The third concert opened with the Upper Sixth BTEC musicians, our premier music students, performing the Arctic Monkeys’ I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor with the help of the Legat dancers, who created a scene deeply reminiscent of a club from the early years of the 2000s.At this point in the evening, with our elite dancers off the stage, the dance floor could open up, and after some reticence on the part of the crowd they were soon swarming forward to fully enjoy a rapid stream of songs from the Jazz Band.Each of these toe-tapping tunes served to drive the dance floor into a frenzy before the music paused for a moment, the Jazz Choir took the stage one last time to wow us with a last two songs: If I Can’t Have You, a song by the Bee Gees, who were only very tenuously included in the Best of British theme, and Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson.The whole event, as agreed by everyone both in the audience and on the stage, had been a huge success. Every musician gave it their all on the night, including a small cadre of four musicians from the Bede’s Prep School: with a new generation of musicians of their calibre, I’m sure we’ll see a lot more shows like this in the years to come.

Ollie MarksUpper Sixth, Dicker House

‘INTO THE WOODS’ TAKES GNARLED AND TWISTED SHAPE...

The School Production this academic year is Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods and the cast and crew have been exceptionally busy during activities and beyond exploring their eccentric characters and staging the fast paced scenes. Many of our cast were alarmed that they had to learn some choreography and it has been a real bonus to have some Legat girls to lead the way here. Stand out moments so far have been the tremendous opening number, the touching

duet between the Baker and his wife, thehighly amusing AGONY between our two forlorn princes and the eating of the narrator by the Giant. It has been a great pleasure to work along-side some of our new First Years and Echo Abraham as the Granny is proving to be very scary indeed. This is where the dark twist of Sondheim really comes into play!The overall design concept for the show is gothic Victorian Steampunk and we have purposefully shied away from a Disney

theme. The narrator character, played with super energy by Theo Morse, is not the dickie bowed middle aged man as seen in the original broadway production but a lost 10 year old evacuee who has run away from his temporary home to the shelter of the woods - in essence the story is entirely his. We have developed the theme of childhood through our set design, with a child’s tree house being the main focal point and allow-ing some height for our Rapunzel scenes. We have also been having a lot of fun playing with the ensemble characters and my appre-ciation of Monty Python humour has helped to create fun moments with our wannabe Princes - it has brought a satirical edge to the production.Although there is still a lot of work to do, Into the Woods is shaping up to be a fantastic show for both children and adults alike.

Karen Lewis Director of Drama

Bede’s production of Into The Woods will be performed from 4-6 February 2016 at the Devonshire Park Theatre

Book tickets via the Devonshire Park Theatre Box Office on 01323 415 500.


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Mr McDonnell’s puppets have been coming along nicely. Here’s ‘War Cow.’

This year’s Scholars’ Play, directed by Mr Cheshire, provided audiences with a globe-trotting tale of Victorian repression, camp comedy and haunting, poignant imagery.With Bede’s Senior Production of Into The Woods occupying the vast bulk of Bede’s Drama department’s energies, this low-key production featured a young, energetic group of actors who picked up the responsibility of providing the School with a centrepiece production for December with vim, vigour and vitality.Staged in the intimate Studio B in The Miles Theatre, with a jam-packed, brutalist set, director Mr Cheshire and Mr Waring’s TheatreProduction team emphasised the claustro-phobia of April De Angelis’ 2004 National Theatre Shell Connections play, trapping

audiences in the galley of an Industrial-era ocean liner with a cast of colourful, contrast-ing personalities on a journey to India.With a central plot involving two young women from different social classes, each ensnared by the confines of their gender and upbringing, audiences were powerless to do anything but watch on as each struggled and strained for self-determination and expres-sion.Carrying us through the narrative was Rose, played expressively by Charlotte Webb; borninto penury and with a mother transported to Australia for crimes slowly revealed across the course of the production, her sad story was that of economic desperation and subjugation.Acting as Rose’s dramatic foil, Alisha Spiro’s

Lila was at first presented as a repellent young woman who could want for nothing – spoiled and strident with a doting mother and promising husband-to-be – but over time the veneer of her life of luxury cracked and fell apart, leaving Lila a broken-hearted, opium-addicted shadow of her former self.Supporting these two central roles were the likes of Joshua Knight’s comical, hammy Poet, Rhys Clarke’s thundering Captain Lowe and Emily Adam’s bumbling, fawning Mrs Lowe who worked together with a promisingcast including Isabelle Sayer, Tom Harrison and Firdet Caraca to create an impactful, harrowing production.

Threaded through with evocative music, subtle lighting and some powerful, ethereal moments care of the wraithlike Anne Kato as Rose’s Mother – whose brief appearances will live as long in the memory as similarly brief contributions by Lorenzo Samuels and Ben Webster – Mr Cheshire’s production left little room for ambiguity.A merciless piece of drama engineered to provoke strong reactions from audiences, this year’s Scholar’s Play set out to achieve its objectives, offering a distressing story filled with flares of theatrical brilliance under-pinned by uncomfortable messages about crime, mercy and legacy of sexual repression.


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SCHOLARS’ PLAY ‘HEADSTRONG’ DELIVERS HAUNTING FEMINIST MESSAGE


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MOUNTAIN BIKERS DEFY THE AUTUMN GLOOM

Membership of Bede’s Mountain Biking ac-tivity is booming and, as far as Mr Jackson is concerned, the more the merrier.With up to ten pupils riding out twice a week with staff including Mrs Sparkes, Mr Tebary-Peterson, Mr Wickens and Mr Jackson invari-ably returning to Bede’s caked in mud with smiles on their faces, it’s clear that there’s something special about the activity.“I think part of the appeal is that we welcome all abilities, from beginners to experts,” explains Mr Jackson. “Plus, we supply all the equipment, maintain it at school and do our best to make each ride as exciting as possible.”Since discovering a passion for Mountain Biking, Mr Jackson has taken a number of qualifications and is known to disappear for a week at a time during the holidays, pedal-ling up mountains in Wales or embarking on long rides including the South Downs Way.

With an average ride in Friston Forest taking in around 6-8 kilometres and involving at least two climbs and two sections of single-track, part of the fun is learning and finding new routes – all of which have evocative names like “Stumpy”, “The Final Descent” and “Doris and Bert.”“This is my third year on the Mountain Biking activity,” adds Dicker House’s Archie Taylor, “and it has helped me develop my confidence a great deal, as well as my strength and stamina. I really recommend other students give it a try. It’s brilliant fun.”

DANCE AND DRAMA STUDENTS ‘KNOCK KNOCK’ IT OUT OF THE PARK

On Monday 30th November, students from Bede’s Nursery and Prep School travelled to Upper Dicker to watch a very special programme prepared especially for them. The performance of work entitled “Knock Knock” was created by Bede’s Fifth Form students from the School’s GCSE Drama and BTEC Performing Arts classes and was staged in the Miles Studio Theatre. The children and parents from Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 were totally immersed in the opening piece, Something Else, which was playful and expertly performed. The piece depicted many characters from a toy box and explored the themes of accept-ing difference, sharing and friendship, with the voices of the children from Year 2 having been recorded previously and beautifully interwoven throughout the performance.

This performance was followed by two dancepieces; the first used the story Mr Benn as a starting point and saw Mr Benn explor-ing new planets, meeting joke-telling aliens and needing to repair their rocket ship while the second chose to take the children on an exploration of a little girl playing with her new toys on Christmas morning. The children loved interacting with both performance pieces and loved watching some of their favourite toys come to life, with the concluding performance clearly making the audience feel extremely festive: they started dancing to the included excerpts from the Nutcracker, Jingle Bells and All I Want for Christmas!After all the performance concluded the audi-ence were then entertained by carols around the Christmas tree whilst eating mince pies, after which the performers mingled with the audience. The children loved having the ‘big’ girls and boys sitting amongst them during the songs, but the event was enjoyed by all involved – not least the senior students who were given an invaluable opportunity to test out exam pieces on a live audience before their assess-ment by external examiners in the New Year.

Alex MurphyHead of Academic Dance


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POLITICS PUPILS VISIT WESTMINSTER PARLIAMENT

Bede’s Lower Sixth Form Government and Politics students visited the Westminster Parliament recently, enjoying a tour and meeting Nus Ghani, MP for Wealden.Starting our trip in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of the palace, we met our guide and were given a brief history of the hall.Dating back to 1097, Westminster Hall has been the sight of some incredibly famous historical events, including the trial of King Charles I and the laying in state of Winston Churchill.We then moved on to central lobby, the heart of Parliament, where the House of Lords, Commons, Westminster Hall and rest of the palace meet. There we learnt about the process of passing a bill through Parliament

- which, needless to say, is a lengthy and ceremonious procedure!We then entered the House of Commons, walking through one of the voting corridors either side of the hall, where we learnt about the way voting happens before meeting our local MP, Nus Ghani for a very informative Q and A session.Thank you to Nus Ghani for taking the time out to talk to us and we have subsequently returned to Bede’s full of practical knowl-edge which will inform our examinations in June.

Graeme ParkerHead of Politics

STUDENTS GET THEIR GROOVE ON AT CAMBERLOT HOUSE’S SILENT DISCO

After the success of the Camberlot 2014 Silent Disco, the House was looking to go bigger and better. Following a strong marketing campaign, we were quickly up to capacity of 160 and there was great anticipation building around the School.On the night, a huge crowd lined up outside of the House waiting to be admitted; fortu-nately we had a resident ‘bouncer’ present in the form of Mr Jones!First on the decks were Dom O’Donnel, Owen Maitland-Shadwell and Cosmo Mealing, and the boys kick-started the night brilliantly. With three channels playing simultaneously and students selecting their preferred genre, which included the latest from Bulgaria’s House scene through to Depeche Mode, Queen and Black Lace, there was something for everyone (especially the staff, who were able to put headphones down and not listen to any of the above!).

A special mention has to go to Cosmo, who during his electronic set toasted the fans with a cup of tea showing his admiration and gratitude for their support!After 30 minutes in the limelight we ‘mixed up’ the DJs (if you excuse the intended pun), with Mr Jones & Josh Simonassi, Gus Bartlett & Alex Bloch and Stephan & Vasil taking up residence on the decks.The tunes were now in full swing and every-one was having the time of their lives - not that you could tell by listening!The headline act saw Mr McKeefry and I delivering what was described by many as “potentially the best set they ever heard by human ears” and “the kind of set that careers in DJing are built on.”The evening then came to a close with some more chilled out numbers, including a final track from Delray Rawlins; Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas’, which went down a treat! With the music over and headphones removed, attendees all engaged in an impromptu conga out of the House, and with clearup completed we were happy to discover that we had raised over £600 for our House Charity, Rockinghorse, across the course of the evening.Considering our primary goal was to enter-tain members of Bede’s other 9 Houses, we are both proud and happy with this accom-plishment!

Joe BowlerUpper Sixth, Camberlot House

SPORT

I have been out of school for the last week or so, undergoing hip surgery, and while I have been recovering I have had plenty of time to reflect on how sporting opportunities at Bede’s, from our Baby Unit to the Sixth Form, provide children with the very best chances of finding and developing skills that will last a lifetime.Sport and physical activity are at the very heart of Bede’s; as such opportunities to engage in competitive sport and sporting endeavours are almost boundless. Fundamental to this idea is our determination to value every pupil and treat each as an individual from the first day they start at the Prep School through to their last day at the Senior School. In between, pupils have access to a fantastic journey of dis-covery and development. There is a significant difference between the needs and experiences of a pupil in the early years compared to those of senior pupils. Essential to developing a well-rounded sport person are the essentials of Funda-mental Movement Skills (FMS) and Physical Literacy (PL) however. The need for the development of these remain with us throughout our lives, and during early formative development they are key, which is why at the Prep School - under the expert guidance of Head of Games Ms Muxworthy - pupils are provided with ample opportunity to develop them! FMS and PL are those skills that are transferable across all sports activities, such as, agility, balance and coordination. It is important to balance these with an exposure to a broad range of sports and activities providing real breadth and balance to the physical education curriculum. It will come as no surprise therefore that pupils at Bede’s Prep school, enjoy a whole host of team sports, an extensive swimming programme, gymnastics, outdoor and adventurous activities, athletics, racquet sports - the foundations for success at Senior School.Our Sports Academies and co-curricular programme are, of course, complemented with regular fixtures across both schools which enable pupils of every standard to enjoy the competitive environment. The ex-periences of representing your school, playing and enjoying sport with friends and peers are powerful for every pupil irrespective of which

team you play for, and with our Heads and Directors of Sport increas-ingly working in concert between the Prep and Senior Schools these opportunities are being made ever-more meaningful term on term.Not surprisingly, sport at the Senior School changes in focus, with greater emphasis placed on First Years developing their understanding of our core sports. As each pupil takes greater responsibility for their own development, fully supported by their coaches, we work to ensure that pupils leave Bede’s understanding the value, benefit and enjoy-ment of playing sport on a regular basis.In a similar way to the Prep School, those pupils who have areas of sporting specialism are encouraged to select those activities that will best support their aspirations in the Co-Curricular programme, and it has been one of my key aspirations since arriving at Bede’s to create a clear talent pathway that enables all pupils to develop and perform in the best environment possible as they grow up to meaningfully enhance their development. As such, our elite coaches are now working with pupils and teams from both schools on a weekly basis and our youngsters are encouraged to be good decision makers, active participants in their own performance and encouraged to deploy their personal skills in Game situations. Sport and physical activity ought to be a source of great enjoyment. As coaches and teachers we understand these values and do everything possible to ensure that irrespective of ability a positive experience is foremost in a pupil’s development. In the end, those with ambitions for a life in professional sport could imagine few schools better; at every stage we support ambition and do everything we can to make the dreams of our athletes a reality.Indeed, now is the time of year where I watch those pupils who have come up from Bede’s Prep School being welcomed into county, regional and national sides, and I feel a justifiable sense of pride.We, as a team, are making incredible things happen - as the subse-quent pages of this newsletter will no doubt attest!

Andrew HibbertDirector of Sport


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A LIFETIME OF SPORTING OPPORTUNITY

From basic racquet skills with Ms Nash in the Nursery...

...to winning Regional titles with Ms Salmon at U18 Level!

COUNTY HONOURS FOR BOTH BEDE’S GIRLS AND BOYS

Sussex County Cricket Club have recently announced their elite squads for Winter Training and the 2016 Season as well as many of their County Squads, with over a dozen Bede’s students earning Sussex honours.Five students have been selected to join the prestigious Sussex Academy and EPP (Emerg-ing Player Programme) squads including Delray Rawlins from the Upper Sixth, Joe Billings from the Lower Sixth and Tom Gordon from the Lower Fifth, who have joined the 10-strong Sussex Academy squad, while

Alastair Orr from the Lower Fifth and Scott Lenham from the First Year have been invited to join the EPP group.Elsewhere, Sussex also selected their girls’ squads during November, with seven Bede’s girls receiving honours.Ellie Robinson and Polly McCarthy from the Upper Fifth have been invited to join the U17s while Ariana Dowse and Leliani Nesbith from the Lower Fifth and Daisy Bean from the First Year have joined the U15s.Matilda Collins from Year 6 and Isabelle Atherton from Year 7 at Bede’s Prep School have both been selected for the Sussex CCC Winter Programme and County Cricket squads, while the four Prep School boys who have trialled will learn their fates after Christmas. “We’re excited about so many students gain-ing Sussex honours,” said Bede’s Director of Cricket and ex-England Internation Alan Wells, “as it shows the strength of Bede’s cricketing and the attraction to the School for many players who have ambitions to develop their cricket to the highest level.”


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SPORTALUMNIEDWARD CASTRO CROWNED TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Bede’s alumnus Edward Castro was recently recognised for his winning 25-29 age-group performances at this year’s British Triathlon Awards Evening.In an evening aimed at celebrating the performances of the Great Britain and Home Nation teams whilst looking towards the next Olympic and Paralympic year, Edward and teammate Georgina Jennings were picked out from a Great Britain Age-Group Team who together collected a phenom-enal 285 medals at 18 ITU World and ETU European Championships across the 2015 season, 91 of which were gold.

The British Triathlon Association said of Ed’s achievements, “Our British Triathlon Male Age-Group Triathlete of the Year Ed Castro is an athlete who, despite only early into his career, is a true all-rounder.” A stellar performance saw Ed pick up age-group sprint gold in Geneva at the ETU Triathlon European Championships before going on to win ITU Triathlon World Cham-pionship silver and bronze in Chicago in the standard and sprint distance races.With a bright future ahead of him, everyone at Bede’s wishes him the best of luck in 2016!

CRICKET

Bede’s girls attending a Sussex CCC workshop at the Bede’s Sports Complex


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BETH GIDDINGS JOINS ENGLAND U18S

Congratulations to Bede’s 1st XI Hockey Captain and Head of Crossways House Beth Giddings who was invited to join the U18 England Hockey squad during November.Beth, who lives in Chuckhatch near Forest Row and has boarded at Bede’s for five years, received her England call-up after taking part in the U18 Futures Cup during the half-term holiday, which saw regional sides from the North, Midlands, South East and South West square off in front of an array of coaches from England Hockey.After receiving her invitational letter Beth said, “I’m really proud of myself and hon-estly can’t quite believe it.”First selected to play for Sussex at U15 level, Beth plays interchangeably as a Forward or Midfielder and has continued to represent the county ever since, taking part in Junior Regional Performance and High Performance Camps along the way while also playing for the recently-promoted East Grinstead Hockey Club at weekends.Presently training for over 14 hours a week and a member of Bede’s elite Emerging Talent Programme, Beth is also currently studying for A Levels in Maths, Biology and Physical Education and is hoping to study Physiotherapy at the University of South-ampton.Beth said of her successes, “My parents Kevin and Katie have done so much for me and I owe them a huge amount. Between them and support from my teachers at Bede’s, I feel very fortunate.”

SPORTHOCKEY

MR JOHNSON REPORTS ON BEDE’S GIRLS’ UNDEFEATED SEASONS AND COUNTY SUCCESS

It’s been a very encouraging first term at Bede’s for me as Director of Hockey, with a 25% increase in the number of girls playing fixtures for the school compared with last year and double the number of fixtures hav-ing taken place too!Regardless of any on pitch successes, the im-pact of the growth in the popularity of Hockey - both at Bede’s and nationally - is clear to see, and we have fielded teams at U14, U15, U16, 2nd and 1st team level, making full use of the School’s world-class, water-based Hockey pitch (which, I might add, continues to be the envy of the circuit). There have been numerous team successes too, with the 1st XI, led by Beth Giddings, making it through to the U19 Sussex Cup semi-final which is due to be played next term.

Likewise. the U16s, led by Jess Wycherley, have gone through the whole season unde-feated but despite this record one draw too many meant the team just missed out on the semi final stage of the Sussex tournament but the team remain rightly proud of their unbeaten achievement, scoring 38 goals and conceding only 4 along the way. A mention must also go to the U15s who won 6 out of their 8 games, losing only 2. Finally, the U14s made steady progress throughout the season with 21 players gaining valuable match experience and highlights for them being tense victories against Lancing College and Seaford College where they showed great poise under pressure. There have been a number of individual repre-sentative achievements, most notably though being Beth Giddings (U6) earning selection to the England U18 squad and Ella Bartram (FY) playing for the regional Tier 1 U15 JRPC team. I’d like to thank all the players for making it such a positive Hockey term with some long lasting memories to cherish, and thanks also to the coaches who have supported the process and given their time, including Mr Krause, Mr Lenham and Mr Collins.

Kevin JohnsonDirector of Hockey

SPORTFOOTBALL

Bede’s 1st XI football team won the ELGIN Southern Independent Schools League Championship last week, finishing the sea-son ahead of the likes of Ardingly College, Lancing College and Charterhouse.The next step of the Bede’s 1st XI’s journey will see them face a team from the Northern League in the New Year – a challenge which the school will face after elite level training for four Bede’s players who have recently been invited to join the ISFA England squad.The 1sts are also down to the last 16 in the ESFA U18 National Schools Cup after an 8-0 win over Gravesend Grammar School for Boys last week and both the 1st XI, U15s and U14 are still in contention for the U18, U16 and U14 Sussex County Cups.Considering all of the above, it would be fair to say that the Football Academy is enjoying its most successful run since our 2009 season - indeed, to finish top of such as competi-tive league is a real achievement bearing in mind our opening game defeat to Winchester. The young 1st XI squad has really gelled in the past months and the progress they have made has been outstanding. Their teamwork,

attitude and effort, as shown in the recent 1-0 win over a then-unbeaten Ardingly side, has been a real joy to watch.With David Carruthers and Knory Scott having been called up to join the U18 ISFA England squad for the upcoming training camp at St George’s Park and Fifth Formers Tommy Trenaman and Ryan Welch also being invited to join the ISFA England squad at U16 level, everyone in the Academy has a huge amount to be proud of.Being asked to represent ISFA England is a fantastic achievement, and as the Bede’s Football Academy exists to develop high level footballers, with the likes of Rex Lane, Nasje Brockington, Grace Stableford and LeiLanni Nesbeth all playing for Sussex as well as the ISFA England boys’ imminent experiences, I believe our hard work and dedication will con-tinue to see our teams and players progress in the coming weeks, months and years.Keep it up everyone!

David CaryerDirector of Football


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BEDE’S FOOTBALLERS EXCEED ALL EXPECTATIONS

BRIGHTON AND HOVE PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS BEDE’S JUNIOR ACADEMY

At the end of November, a mix of U14 and U15 players from Bede’s played against the Seagull’s Junior Academy side at Brighton and Hove Albion’s training ground. The Bedians put in a stellar performance and won the match, but the score-line was, in the words of Bede’s Director of Football Dave Caryer, “of far less important than our burgeoning partnership between Bede’s and Brighton.”

Mr Caryer continued, “The boys absolutely loved the experience of going to a premier-ship standard training complex, and I am grateful that Brighton and Hover Albion are keen to arrange more of these fixtures in the future.”With Brighton and Bede’s playing “great football on a quality surface, with the stand-ard of play outstanding from both teams,” Mr Caryer concluded by saying that his entire squad was worthy of recognition.


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bede's newsletter christmas 2015

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